Discovering our humanity isn’t easy. As almost any well written story will illustrate, finding what it means for us to be ethical, loving, caring, passionate people is a life-long pursuit. Sometimes the path can be very boring. Other times it can overwhelm us. Because we haven’t made it to the end of our story, we may misinterpret the signs around us, behave rashly, or head in the wrong direction. Being in the midst of a story is very different from reading one that has a beginning, a middle, and an end already imagined, plotted, and penned.

That’s why I really like this exchange in Mark. In it we are given a glimpse of how things might have been between Jesus and his disciples. Mark doesn’t give the disciples the privilege of hindsight; they have to make their way through their present without all of the answers. And we can easily see ourselves in them, can’t we? Hoping for the best? Wanting Jesus to be mighty, wise, and strong?

The reality, of course, is that Mark did have the power of hindsight. He knew the ending of the story and he was troubled by it – just as his readers were. The Messiah was supposed to come in glory, depose the oppressors, set the people free, and restore Israel’s political autonomy and military might. Mark knew, however, that Jesus would not be victorious over the Romans. He knew that Jesus would be tried and executed as a common criminal. The crucifixion of Jesus brought with it an almost unbearable shame for Jesus’ followers. What would a faithful follower of Jesus do with that shame? What would the community do with the scandal of the cross? Who were they – these people with a crucified Messiah?

Mark ingeniously offers one of the most creative answers to the problem of the cross and the identity of those who follow a crucified messiah. In his story of explanation the disciples name their hopes for who Jesus might be and, by extension, what he might do for them. Be for us, they proclaim, a famous prophet. Be a wise man. Be a mighty warrior and leader. But, though Jesus might have become any of these, he heard a different call for his life. He had a different mission that was authentic for him which sent him not down a road of glory but down a road of suffering. I’m sure the idea crossed his mind more than once to go a different path but Jesus looks in the eye the temptations named by his disciples and tells them to get behind him. Another road waits for him. A road of suffering for the sake of love. A life of service for the sake of others. A life lived purely in response to God’s claim on him, extended at his baptism, which will take him relentlessly toward a shameful death on a cross. A life of quiet and loving resistance, non-violent and kingdom oriented. Jesus never asked anyone to raise a sword or to throw a stone. Instead he proffered a different kind of revolution. He invited people to live full and whole lives, not bound by the powers and principalities that exerted external force over them. He invited people into a holy integrity and reminded them of the power of their covenant community. His was a counter-cultural proclamation. Live as though the powers and principalities aren’t there, he said. Live the kin-dom now. There is no price high enough to outweigh the value of life fully lived – not death, not death on a cross. Embrace life, serve others, demand justice. Through this lens, Jesus becomes a messiah willing to suffer and be crucified for the sake of his mission. Through this lens, the cross doesn’t bring a mark of shame, but a mark of honor. His path, unique for him, sent him lovingly through suffering to a cross for the sake of his gospel mission. The people who followed this Jesus – this messiah – need not be ashamed of the cross because the cross is a symbol of Jesus’ call. Mark tells the people to find their own call and to pick it up for the sake of the gospel.

What a story. It’s a story of discovery and response. In it we find not only Jesus’ humanity and not only the disciples’ humanity, but, like Mark’s community, we hear a call to us to find our own humanity. Who are we? What are we being called to do? Who are we being called to be? Thankfully our mission isn’t the same as that of Jesus. But more likely than not we encounter some suffering when we embrace life, when we dare to live authentic lives, open to the pain of others, humbled by the awesomeness of creation, passionate about justice, simple in our love for all. More specifically, as Christians we hear in this passage our invitation to mission. This story inquires into our identity as followers of the crucified Christ. How we respond to them is up to us. Our story has yet to be written. Our ending has not yet been composed.

One thing I like to do with this story is to substitute the word “call” for the word “cross.” It helps me to understand this story. The word “cross” can get me all hung up. When I use the word “call” I realize that the cross isn’t the end of the story, it’s only a way through it. Suffering isn’t the ending of the story for Jesus and it isn’t the ending of the story for us either. “Take up your calling and follow me.” This I can understand. I can see that in my calling – in our shared calling – we may experience suffering and we may find a cross or two. But if I focus too much on that cross I set my mind on human things – comfort, safety, security. Heavenly things are worth more than that. They are fullness of life, life shared with others, justice sought and mercy offered. Heavenly things take us through the cross because heavenly things aren’t cheap and they aren’t easy. Heavenly things come when we hear and heed our call.

Just as we individually find challenge in today’s reading, the church is being confronted anew with its message, its mission, its identity. As Christians we are presented with opportunities to reveal how we have been touched by the mission, witness, and ministry of Jesus. The way in which we live each day reveals to others our understanding of Jesus, of the Human One, of the Christ. And each opportunity that comes to us offers us a choice. How will we witness to our faith, our message, our mission, our identity? Suffering will be our companion on this journey, that’s for sure. The good news is that suffering isn’t the end of our story either. Life fully lived is worth the price – ask anyone who’s dared to come out of the closet, who’s dared to become a parent, who’s dared to fall in love, who’s dared to say no to those who try to tear them down, who’s dared to leave an abusive relationship, who’s dared to grab on to life and not let go. We aren’t only a people of the cross; we are people of the resurrection. An empty tomb awaits us on the other side of our suffering. God sustained Jesus, the disciples, and Mark’s community. God will sustain us, too. We are a part of an ancient and holy story. We get to write the next part in it. What will we say about who we are? What will we say about the one we follow? Amen.